1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the field of medical devices, more particularly to devices used in medical therapy, and still more particularly to therapy devices for treating rheumatoid arthritic hands.
2. Background Discussion
Rheumatoid arthritis (also known as inflammatory arthritis) is a chronic systemic disease, primarily of the joints, marked by inflammatory changes in the synovial membranes and articular structures and by atrophy and rarefaction of the bones.
The cause of rheumatoid arthritis is currently unknown; however, autoimmune mechanisms and viral infections have been postulated (e.g., Dorland""s Illustrated Medical Dictionary, 26th Edition, 1985).
The physiological effects of rheumatoid arthritis, which can affect juveniles as well as adults, can range from discomfort and inconvenience to extreme pain and crippling disability. As yet no cure for rheumatoid arthritis is known, but medications, such as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (including aspirin and other salicitates), steroids, gold compounds, chloroquine or hydroxy chloroquine, penicillamine, immunosuppressive drugs, as well as cortisone injections may be beneficial in reducing joint inflammation and alleviating pain. For advanced rheumatoid arthritis, surgical procedures, including synovectomy, total joint replacement or anthroplasty may be required.
Although rheumatoid arthritis can affect any joints in a body, those of an individual""s hands are perhaps most commonly affected, and it is to the treatment of this condition that the present invention is directed.
Shown, by way of example, in the X-ray photograph of FIG. 1A, attached hereto, is a representative hand that is severely afflicted by rheumatoid arthritis. The X-rayed hand is deformed at the metacarpalphalangeal joints (i.e., the knuckles) to an extent that the fingers are forced or pulled away from the thumb toward the little finger by the ulnar (as opposed to radial) muscles of the fingers. Such a depicted condition is frequently referred to as the ulnar deviation of the fingers, the word xe2x80x9culnarxe2x80x9d being derived from ulna, the inner and larger bone of the forearm on the side opposite to that of the thumb.
In addition to being usually extremely painful, severe ulnar deviation of the fingers by rheumatoid arthritis limits normal use of the hand, making, for example, the grasping and holding of objects and the performing of simple everyday tasks like eating and grooming, extremely painful and difficult or even impossible.
At this point it is important to distinguish the above-described condition of ulnar finger deviation caused by rheumatoid arthritis from the condition of ulnar deviation of an individual""s hand. This latter term is ordinarily applied to movement of the wrist in the plane of the palm of the hand away from the thumb and toward the little finger and is typically associated with repetitive side-to-side motion of an individual""s hand (relative to the forearm), for example, while using a typewriter or computer keyboard. This results in damage to the individual""s ulnar nerve at the exit from the carpal tunnel near the elbow and the condition is generally called xe2x80x9ccarpal tunnel syndromexe2x80x9d (CTS).
As is well documented, CTS may, for example, be treated (or prevented) by the use of ergonomically-designed keyboards that require minimal hand movement during typing. Alternatively, or in addition, CTS may be treated or prevented by the application of rigid wrist braces or splints that lock the wrist in the neutral position, thereby relieving pressure in the carpel tunnel. Such braces or splints, which typically include straps around the base of the fingers, the wrist and forearm, prevent flexion, hyper-extension and ulnar deviation, and enable a wearer to keep working with reduced pain.
Ulnar finger deviation caused by rheumatoid arthritis is treatable in many cases. However, because of the different mechanisms involved, use of CTS wrist braces (splints) is not considered by the present inventor to be useful or even appropriate. For example, rheumatoid arthritis causes, as described above, ulnar deviation of the fingers, while CTS involved ulnar deviation of the entire hand. Moreover, the use of CTS devices for treating ulnar finger deviation caused by rheumatoid arthritis is contra-indicated due to risk of causing skin breakdown and pain. Still further, such CTS devices would not provide necessary finger muscle xe2x80x9creeducationxe2x80x9d as is desired to restore ulnar finger deviation toward a normal condition.
Accordingly, a principal objective of the present invention is, therefore, to provide a hand-worn device for treating and/or correcting ulnar finger deviation caused by rheumatoid arthritis.
In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a progressive radial correction hand device for correcting ulnar finger deviation in a rheumatoid arthritic hand. The device comprises a flexible fabric hand pad having finger and palm supporting regions and having a soft, padded, non-skin irritating hand-contacting upper region and first, second, third and fourth elongate, flexible finger straps, each of the straps having a soft, non-skin irritating finger-contacting surface and being at least about an inch wide in finger-contacting regions, each of said finger straps having proximal and distal end regions. Preferably the pad is formed having a thumb-receiving aperture.
Included in the device are means for anchoring distal end regions of the finger straps at the palm supporting region of the pad, means for detachably attaching the hand supporting region of the pad to a wearer""s hand, and means for adjustably and detachably attaching proximal ends of the four finger straps together at the distal end regions thereof with the wearer""s hand resting on the pad and with the finger straps pulled upwardly from the pad upper region and over corresponding ones of the wearer""s ulnar deviated fingers to urge the fingers toward a normal finger position.
Preferably, the distal end regions of all the finger straps are attached together to form a finger strap assembly and four generally parallel, spaced-apart slits are formed in a palm supporting region of the pad, each one of the slits being sized for receiving therethrough a corresponding one of the four finger straps from an under side of the pad.
There may be included a rigid pad supporting member positioned at an under surface of the pad, the supporting member being formed having four, generally parallel, spaced-apart slots corresponding to the four slits formed in the pad, so the finger straps can be received through the four slots in the pad supporting member before being received through the four slits in the pad.
It is also preferred that the device include means connected for applying an electric stimulation current to radial muscle regions of each of the four fingers, and preferably also to radial muscle regions of the thumb, of the hand to which the device is attached. The electric stimulation current provided is preferably between about 0.1 and about 1.0 milliamps.
More particularly, the progressive radial correction hand device for correcting ulnar finger deviation in a rheumatoid arthritic hand comprises first, second, third and fourth elongate, flexible finger straps, each of which has a soft, non-skin irritating finger-contacting surface and each having proximal and distal ends, the distal ends of all the finger straps being attached together to form a finger strap assembly.
Included is a flexible fabric hand pad having finger and palm supporting regions, having a soft, padded, non-skin irritating hand-contacting upper region and having a thumb-receiving aperture. The palm supporting region has four spaced-apart, generally parallel slits, each one of the slits being sized for receiving therethrough a corresponding one of the four finger straps from an under side of the pad. Further included are means for detachably securing the hand supporting region of the pad to a wearer""s hand. Means are provided for adjustably and detachably attaching proximal ends of the four finger straps together at the distal ends thereof with the wearer""s hand resting on the pad with the wearer""s thumb extending through the thumb-receiving aperture and with the finger straps extending through the palm region slits and pulled up and over corresponding ones of the four fingers of the hand to which the device is attached to urge the wearer""s fingers toward a normal finger position.
Preferably finger-contacting regions of each of the finger straps have a width of at least about one inch. Also preferably, the device includes a rigid pad supporting member having upper and lower surfaces and having four generally parallel slots formed therein for receiving corresponding ones of the four finger straps from the lower surface prior to the finger straps being inserted through the four hand pad slits.
The pad palm region is preferably formed having at least five spaced apart finger strap-receiving slits for enabling the selective inserting of the finger straps therethrough to thereby enable selective urging of the ulnar deviated fingers toward their normal finger position. Included are means connected for applying an electric stimulation current to radial muscle regions of each of the four fingers and thumb of the hand to which the device is attached.
Also more specifically, a progressive radial correction hand device for correcting ulnar finger deviation in a rheumatoid arthritic hand comprises a flexible fabric hand pad having finger and palm supporting regions and having a soft, padded, non-skin irritating hand-contacting upper region, the pad being formed having a thumb-receiving aperture; and first, second, third and fourth elongate, flexible finger straps having proximal and distal end regions, each of the straps having a soft, non-skin irritating finger-contacting surface and being at least about an inch wide in finger-contacting regions, each of said finger straps.
Means are included for anchoring distal end regions of the finger straps at the palm supporting region of the pad, as is a strap for detachably attaching the hand supporting region of the pad to a wearer""s hand. Means are provided for adjustably and detachably attaching proximal ends of the four finger straps together at the distal end regions thereof with the wearer""s hand resting on the pad and with the finger straps pulled upwardly from the pad upper region and over corresponding ones of the wearer""s ulnar deviated fingers to urge said fingers toward a normal finger position. Preferably means are provided for applying an electric stimulation current between about 0.1 and about 1.0 milliamps to radial muscle regions of each of the four fingers and the thumb of the hand to which the device is attached.
Distal end regions of all the finger straps are attached together to form a finger strap assembly, and wherein the anchoring means includes four generally parallel, spaced-apart slits formed in the palm supporting region of the pad, each one of the slits being sized for receiving therethrough a corresponding one of the four finger straps from an under side of the pad. A rigid pad supporting member positioned at an under surface of the pad has four, generally parallel, spaced-apart slots corresponding to the four slits formed in the pad, the finger straps being received through the four slots in the pad supporting member before being received through the four slits in the pad